1917 Standing Liberty Quarter: Type 1
The Standing Liberty Quarter was first produced in 1916 with a very limited mintage. Therefore, the 1916 Standing Liberty quarter is extremely rare and expensive. Consequently, the second year of production in 1917 is a more affordable example of a classic United States coin.
The Type 1 coin features Lady Liberty with her left breast exposed. Some people believe outrage sparked by the public caused the United States Mint to produce a second type of coin with Lady Liberty’s chest covered by a coat of chain mail. Another theory is that the United States was preparing for entrance into World War I in 1917 and the coat of chain mail was added to indicate that Lady Liberty was ready for battle. Circulated examples of this coin are affordable for even the beginning collector. An intermediate coin collector can easily obtain uncirculated examples.